
As a result of these hydrophobic interactions, most of the amino acids on the surface of proteins have hydrophilic (polar or charged) R groups highly hydrophobic R groups, such as phenylalanine, are almost never found on the surface of a protein. These hydrophilic bonds can then form electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds that further stabilize the protein from the inside. Hydrophilic N–H and C=O bonds found in the polypeptide chain get pulled in by these hydrophobic residues. Hydrophobic residues prefer to be on the interior of proteins, which reduces their proximity to water. Tertiary structures are mostly determined by hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions between R groups of amino acids. These are caused by tertiary and quaternary protein structures, both of which are the result of protein folding.Ī protein's tertiary structure is its three-dimensional shape. Proteins can be broadly divided into fibrous proteins, such as collagen, that have structures that resemble sheets or long strands, and globular proteins, such as myoglobin, that tend to be spherical (that is, like a globe). MCAT Biochemistry Review Chapter 1: Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins 1.5 Tertiary and Quaternary Protein Structure
